Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: AFC’s Vice President and Women’s Committee Chairperson Moya Dodd is confident that the upcoming years will provide an impetus for Asian women’s teams to go further and to spur the development of the game.
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup will take place in Vietnam in May which serves as the qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada. From 2015, the AFC Women’s Futsal Championship will be held for the first time.
The FIFA has also awarded the hosting rights of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2016 to Jordan. Korea Republic, DPR Korea and China have qualified for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada. In the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2014, the Asian flag will be flown by DPR Korea, Japan and China.
“This year and the upcoming years will be exciting for Asian women’s football and its fans,” Dodd (pictured, centre) told The-AFC.com on the sideline of an ongoing AFC Women’s Development Programme in the Malaysian capital.
“It will be the first time a Women’s World Cup champion, Japan, will play in an AFC Women’s Asian Cup which will be held this year in Vietnam.
“It will also be the first time a West Asian team, Jordan, takes part in a Women’s Asian Cup this year. Now we are going to see the dream of international football alive for every player including those who wear headscarves.
“The top five in the Women’s Asian Cup 2014 Vietnam will be rewarded with berths at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the finals. This is the first time five teams from Asia will be going to Canada. And I’d say every team at Vietnam will have a chance to go to the world competition.
“Jordan’s hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is another first for West Asia. I hope this will inspire us more and all these will be a great showcase to spur the development of the women’s game.”
Dodd, a Member of the FIFA Executive Committee, is also upbeat with the prospects of further development for Asian women provided by the various programmes and support activities for the MAs.
“I have high hopes that this workshop will have a great effect on Asian women’s football,” she said. “We have unveiled the AFC Women’s Strategic Plan 2013-2019 during the workshop and also explained the various programmes and support activities such as the AFC Financial Assistance Programme (AFAP), Women’s Assistance Programme (WAP), courses, Kick Off and more, to the MAs. FIFA and UEFA also highlighted their support programmes during the workshop.
“It’s wonderful that some MAs are taking active steps to develop their game by taking part in the Women's Assistance Programme (WAP). Women’s football is a popular game with great potential in Asia but it is easy for it to lose focus and become a ‘footnote’ to the men's game.
“So we need to get the deserved focus in every country. Asia is home to two thirds of the world population and half of this is women and most don’t have a chance to take part in football. So if we can place this popular game alongside Asian women who account for one third of the world population, we will see an enormous opportunity for Asian women’s football both on and off the field.”